


The Daughter of Glass and Shadows

by Missus_cupcake



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Found Family, Light Angst, Noble! Inquisitor, Tags to be added as I go, Young! Inquisitor, but not Trevelyan, how do i tag lol, little inky just wants to be friends with everyone, use of the French language often
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 23:53:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17477339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missus_cupcake/pseuds/Missus_cupcake
Summary: Little Marie may be small, but she is no where near as breakable as people perceive. Little Marie may not be as strong as a warrior, or as cunning as an assassin, but she is very capable in her own special manner.With the world of Thedas in complete disorder, with no one knowing anything about how to right all these wrongs, the only one they can turn to happens to be little Marie herself.She had always loved adventure stories, but she never knew she would ever be apart of one in her short, young life.





	The Daughter of Glass and Shadows

**Author's Note:**

> SO! Hello everyone, who have decided to give this book a go! This was just a little idea that came to me, and I just wanted to test the waters and see if anyone likes it!
> 
> If you happen to, feel free to leave any comments/tips/ideas down below, and I do really hope that you enjoy the show :)

There were so many people crowded into the valley, it was hard for Marie to keep up with Luca as he walked just as fast as their parents in front of them. She didn’t quite know _why_ her parents had decided to bring the two of them along to this supposed important meeting or something… all Marie knew was that the people in their metal armor with their large metal swords and higher-than-her shields and their glowering looks were very scary – but Luca would give her a reassuring look every now and then, and she would feel better. Mama and Papa seemed to be more scared of the nice-looking people in robes of wonderful colors of blue, green, violet, and many more – Luca told her they were mages, and that they were _super duper_ dangerous. Marie didn’t believe him for one minute – the swords looked _sharp_ and they could _hurt_ somebody! Mages with their magic didn’t seem to be as dangerous as _swords!_ But Marie just went along with her brother’s words, so she continued to move as fast as her short legs would let her, following in her family’s footsteps as they marched closer to the lovely temple.

Mama told her it was a very special temple – the Temple of Sacred Ashes, where the ashes of the blessed Andraste were found not a decade ago. Marie didn’t remember much about the temple and Andraste from her lessons, but she did know that the lady was very special to her parents and she did remember a bit about Andraste from all the times she joined her parents at the Chantry. There were many lovely stories, but many were sad… those ones she didn’t like at all. Marie enjoyed all the stories about Andraste fighting for her rights and all her adventures, but to be truthful, the girl didn’t pay too much attention to detail for she loved to daydream her own adventures too much – Asha, her teacher, didn’t like that too much and would very much prefer if Marie payed attention to her lessons more than her own silly thoughts. She would eventually would follow Asha’s teachings, but she would be grumpy all day – Marie thought it unfair for Luca to play with swords and bows all day, while she had to learn history and etiquette and other boring things. But every now and then, Asha would give her a free day that lined up with Luca having one as well, so they would run rampant around the courtyard screaming and laughing up a storm – and sometimes Papa would watch them at the end of the day if he had finished his work, and once in the blue moons, he would join in and give them some pointers. Luca enjoyed showing her how to properly hold the wooden sword, and Marie would tell him facts about the world around him.

Marie must have been in her head a bit too long, for the next moment she found her hand enclosed in her brother’s, being led back to their parents who held worried looks. Her face flushed, but Luca just gave her another reassuring look.

“It won’t be too long now, Mar-Mar, Mama and Papa said we get to go inside now!” Luca smiled as they fell in line behind their parents, and Marie realized that they were quite close to the large ornate doors of the temple. And at that same moment, she almost screamed and fainted at the sight of the grey giants with even meaner looks that the men in metal suits. Luca just pulled her along, an almost dazed looked to him as well, but Mama and Papa were entering the temple and the both of them couldn’t get lost in this large crowd.

A silent ‘thud’ resonated behind them as the large doors closed. Inside the temple was much less crowded than the valley outside, and the silence was almost startling to Marie. As they walked along the marble walkway to who-knows-where, she could really hear Mama’s heels clicking and clacking on her every step. And it was much warmer inside – the snow flurries this high up in the mountains were quite cold, and the light tights she wore did not block out the weather that well. Luca still held her hand, and she was glad for it – the spacious ceilings and echoing chambers made her feel as if she would float away and get lost in this eerie temple. 

It’s not as if the temple was completely empty – there were armored guards patrolling the halls, and in front of every door. Marie had no idea where they were going – it seemed as if the hall seemed to stretch on forever – but Mama and Papa seemed to know where they were going, so that kept Marie firmly planted on the ground; the warm hand in hers happened to help, too.

Soon Marie found that they were in front of a chamber, where Papa exchanged a few quiet words with the guard guarding the door. The soldier-man nodded and opened the door. At his actions, Mama looked back to the siblings with a smile.

“Mama and Papa need to go to work now, sweetlings. I need you both to stay in the room, and _do not_ wander, please. But we will be back by this evening – everything you need should be in this room, and if ever you need anything more, this kind soldier would be pleased to fetch whatever you wish. Know that we love you, and maybe when everything is over and resolved at this Conclave, we can plan a family trip – it has been too long since our last.”

Luca beamed at Mama’s words. “We should go to Antiva again! The city was so beautiful!” Marie nodded at her brother’s words, and Papa and Mama both chuckled.

“Whatever you wish, my darlings. Be good now, my children. We will see you later.” Mama bid farewell, and they began walking back the way they all entered. With a silent gesture, the soldier ushered the children into the room and closed it behind himself.

The room was grand – a large plush bed sat in the middle of the room, and a few bookshelves lined the walls. But there wasn’t much else for a pair of rambunctious kids to do.

It didn’t take too long for Luca to initiate the madness.

“We need to get out of this room.” Luca stated plainly, looking to Marie.

Her brows furrowed in confusion. “But Mama asked us to stay here. We cannot go against her wishes! And plus, the soldier-man outside would stop us if we did manage to escape.”

“You think too small, Mar-Mar!” Luca exclaimed, walking over to the door and knocking on it lightly. After a beat, the soldier popped his head in the door and looked to Luca with a questioning look. “Excuse me, sir. But may we have something for our luncheon? It has been quite some time since we last ate, and I don’t think our parents would like their children wasting away.”

The soldier left with a huff, and Luca turned back to his sister with a wicked grin.

“Now’s our chance, while he’s gone!”

“B-but Luca –” Marie started, but was stunned when Luca lightly tapped her shoulder, yelled ‘tag’, and bolted out of the room – still with that grin plastered on his face. Marie sighed, but bolted right after him, a smile working its way to her cheeks.

They were lucky, for the echoey halls seemed to mask their pitter-patter and laughs as they got farther and farther away from the room. There seemed to be a lack of guards as they continued down the halls and veered off into smaller corridors. No matter how fast Marie seemed to run, Luca was always just a step behind her brother, and never got the chance to tag him back – but it was still loads of fun. All Marie seemed to notice was the fun she was having, until she came to a stop in a dimly lit hall and looked look around.

“L-luca.” Mair called out, a hint of fright to her tiny voice. At his sister’s words, Luca stopped in his tracks and looked back with a confused look. “I think we might be lost. It doesn’t seem as if many people have been down this way recently. I-I’m scared, Luca…”

“There’s no need to be frightened, little Marie. I’m here, I’ll protect you! That’s what big brother are for, right?” Luca grinned, taking her hand and leading them down the hallway with a careful eye, to see if they could fins some way back to the main hall.

“Mama said I was born first, though…” Marie grumbled, but Luca still smiled. They walked slowly, and soon Luca perked up, swearing that he could hear somebody – just down the dim hall a ways. Marie was skeptical, but followed her brother with a slight smile, hoping it could be somebody who could help them find their way back.

Instead, it seemed to be the worst mistake that two young children would ever make in their short lives.

~

Cassandra sighed, pacing back and forth her sword clutched in one hand, shield in the other, and waited impatiently at the end of the path for any sign of soldiers or scouts returning from the ruined temple.

No one had expected an attack of this scale to happen. Maybe some infighting between templars and mages, but nothing of this caliber.

An explosion that ripped the sky apart, tearing the Veil between worlds – and that was the least of their worries. Demons were falling from the sky as fast as their soldiers could slay them, but they knew it was a loosing battle. Many had fallen, and many more would follow in their efforts, and there was no sign of the onslaught ending any time soon.

The thing that ripped Cassandra’s heart the most were the innocent lives lost.

So many were in attendance for the Divine’s Conclave – including Divine Justinia herself – and they all lost their lives in one simple, calculated sweep. Cassandra wanted to charge up the mountain herself and search the wreckage for any sigh of life – dare she hope to find the Divine still alive under all the rubble and ash – but Cassandra knew better. Her role was better played out away from the fighting, despite her skills on the battlefield, delegating attacks and trying to control the influx of refugees as the Commander fought alongside his soldiers on the trails. In her heart she hoped they would find someone or something to give them any clue as to why this would have happened – _how_ this could even happen. But it was hopeless. It had been hours since that morning when the explosion resonated through the skies, and nothing had been found beneath all the damage.

She sighed again, beginning to pace back and forth again to try and calm her nerves.

Cassandra perked up when she heard shouts, coming down from the path. A scout entered her vision, and she ran to meet him halfway. As soon as she was in speaking distance, the scout keeled over and panted hard trying to catch his breath.

“Report! What have you learned, any news?” Cassandra barked, although placing a reassuring hand on the man’s shoulder. With a gulp of air, the man stood back up straight and looked her in the eyes.

“Seeker Pentaghast: We have found a survivor of the explosion at the Conclave, but… I don’t think you’re going to like this.”

At the man’s words, two soldiers appeared from where the scout did previously, holding a young girl upright between the two of them.

“That is but a child! She must need medical attention immediately!” Cassandra ordered, but the scout stood still, although shaking at the ferocity of the woman’s words.

“I-I apologize, Seeker, but you may want hear my words first, before you decide what to do with the girl…” The scout began, looking nervously at the approaching soldiers. “She was found walking out of a rift – one of those holes in the heavens that demons have been pouring out – and this was like no other rift we have spotted. This one appeared suddenly, spit out this girl – and some eye-witnesses claim to have seen a woman behind her, in the green light – and once the child was on the ground the rift just… disappeared! None have done so, that we have seen… and look closely to her right arm… there’s something not right about it…”

Cassandra furrowed her eyebrows at the man’s words, but nodded nonetheless. As the soldiers approached where the two stood, the Seeker noticed a strange green glow – the same sickly shade as the one emanating from the heavens above – and her face hardened into a look of torn emotion.

“What should we do with the girl, Seeker?” One soldier called to her as the got closer. Cassandra sighed, sheathing her sword for the moment.

“Take her to the cells, under the Chantry, then call for a healer. For the time being, she is considered a prisoner, guilty in connection of the murder of Divine Justinia and those in attendance of her Conclave.”

The soldiers nodded solemnly, and carried the girl – no, the prisoner, she corrected – towards Haven. Cassandra looked back to the scout, who held a cautious look in his eyes.

“You. Send for Leliana and ask her to meet me in the Chantry. It is urgent business, and she should drop all other commitments at the moment, for this should be much more important.”

At her words, the scout ran off towards Haven as well, and Cassandra decided she should make her way to the village as well.

Maker, how old could that child even be? Cassandra knew that Cullen must have shields that were taller than her. No more than ten, Cassandra concluded. That would make everything even harder on the Seeker.

 _How could a child be implicated in all of this? One so young, to cause so much destruction and ruin…_ Cassandra’s thoughts occupied her mind as she marched towards the gates, paying no mind to the chaos around her – soldiers readying to charge up the mountain, refugees crying for lost loved ones, angry villages demanding to know what was going on – nothing distracted her in her quest to the Chantry, hoping the girl may be awake come the time Cassandra arrived. Passing through the gates, she made a disgusted noise as the dwarf ran up to her.

“Hey, Seeker, I know you don’t like me much right now, but no one else will listen to me – and I need to do something about this! Please let me go into the valley! Bianca and will be able to boost you soldiers where they need it!” Varric pleaded with the Seeker, trying to keep up with her on his short legs as she stalked towards the Chantry.

“No, Varric. Not now. I will speak with you about this at a later time. I have much more important matters to attend to.” Cassandra muttered, and Varric scoffed at her words.

“You mean the kid a couple of soldiers dragged through here not ten minutes ago?” Varric sneered, making Cassandra scoff back at him. “People are already talking, Seeker, and no matter how much you wish to pin the blame on someone or something, you can’t believe that this is right.”

Cassandra just made a disgusted noise and kept walking.

~

_Cold._

_Hurt. Pain that aches and stabs and makes my whole body sore._

_Even more cold…._

Marie stirred, blinking to allow her eyes to adjust to the dark light of the very cold room. With a small moan of pain, she realized she was laying on a cold stone floor. Trying to figure out where she was, she came to notice that her arms ached, and her legs were sore, and she could feel bruises and small cuts all over her body – and the cold floor did nothing to help.

Trying to sit up properly, Marie gasped at the weird feeling of her body being pulled back to the ground – for her arms were bound and chained to the floor, preventing her from sitting up straight or even standing. With a whine of panic, she began rattle the chains in some hope they would come loose – but they didn’t. Her lip began to quiver, and she could feel tears welling up in her eyes when a woman’s voice cut through the dark silence.

“You. Tell me why I shouldn’t kill your right now. The Temple is destroyed. Everyone who attended the Conclave is dead. Everyone but _you_!” A woman in scary metal armor sneered down at her small frame – not very loud, but with a ferocity that almost made Marie weep.

The young girl couldn’t say anything, for the tears were starting to fall down her cheeks in large droplets. Marie tried to answer the scary lady, but the only thing that would leave her lips were small cries and stuttered syllables. That only seemed to frustrate the woman more, for she reached down and grabbed one of her bound arms and raised in front of her face – which hurt _very_ much, making her whole body lurch forward at the action – and Marie cried out in pain and shock from what she saw.

“Explain _this._ ” The woman growled, then threw Marie’s hand back towards her, giving the girl some relief from this waking nightmare.

Sickly green veins were sprouting from the middle of her palm, some reaching towards the back of her hand and some were reaching down towards her wrist. Her blue eyes wide, she tried to answer the woman.

“I-I can’t...” Marie managed to choke out, hoping her small voice held enough desperation for the woman to let her go.

Her words seemed to anger the woman. “What do you mean, you _can’t?_ ” The woman snarled, making Marie try to shrink back as far as her bound arms would let.

“I-I don’t know what that thing is, you have to believe me! I have no idea how it got there!” Marie cried out, as the woman paced in front of her, an ever-present look of anger on her face.

“You’re lying!” The woman went to charge, and Marie shrieked at the incoming impact, until another, unnoticed woman, softly spoke from the darkness.

“We need her, Cassandra.” The new woman – this one wore robes similar to the mages from the conclave, yet hers weren’t as long, and seemed to be reinforced with some kind of armor. It was a pretty light purple. The scary lady – Cassandra, Marie would have to memorize – scoffed and walked out of her view as the nicer lady squatted down to her level.

“Hello there. Do you have any memory as to how this could have happened? How this all began?” She questioned softly, looking Marie in the eyes – she sounded like she was trying to be kind and open, but Marie could see a cold, calculating gaze in the new woman’s eyes. _But she did have pretty red hair,_ Marie mused for a moment, before shaking her head and trying to answer the question asked of her.

“I… I don’t remember much, sorry…” Marie began, coughing lightly to clear her throat. Now that she thought of it, there really _wasn’t_ much that she could remember. “The last thing I can think of… I remember that there were these… _things…_ chasing me, because I was running, and then… a woman? I-I don’t really know, sorry…”

“A woman?” Cold-eyes asked with a questioning look to her eyes. Marie nodded in confirmation, trying to piece together her own memories.

“Yes, a woman… I feel that she was reaching out to me, but…” Marie trailed off, eyebrows knitted in confusion as she couldn’t remember details after that point. With a small scoff from the darkness, Marie remembered about the scary Cassandra who walked back into her line of sight.

“Go to the forward camp, Leliana. I will bring the prisoner there.” Cassandra told cold-eyes – Leliana, another name for her to remember – who seemed to give the armored woman a look of questioning, although Marie’s own eyes might have been playing tricks on her in this darkness, but nodded nonetheless and a door was heard opening and closing soon after Leliana left her line of vision. Focusing back on Cassandra, she almost panicked when she saw what looked like a large knife approach her body, but was soon relieved when it turned out to be a large key that unlocked the chains around her wrists – she was glad for a moment, but the cold chains were soon replaced by coarse rope that seemed to burn into her skin, but Marie made a promise in her head to try and be strong from here on out. Cassandra helped her – reluctantly – stand up on her shaky legs, and began to escort her up the stairs and where she assumed they needed to go.

“So… what _did_ happen?” Marie asked tentatively, in a small voice. Cassandra looked over her shoulder to the girl, a grim look on her face.

“It will be easier to show you. Come.”

They walked through the halls of what Marie could only assume was wherever-she-was’s Chantry. It wasn’t as ornate or grand as some that she had seen in her life, but it still held the comforting feel of familiarity – even as some sisters glared at her as she walked past them. That made a frown appear on Marie’s face.

As they approached the doors, two guards pushed them open and allowed the two women to step out into the wintery air. Upon looking up to the sky, Marie was stricken with a terrible tremor in her right arm, making her fall to her knees, hard, in pain and surprise. The sky held the same hue as the markings on her hand, and she wasn’t sure what made her sicker – the pain in her hand or the horrible scene above her head.

“We call it the Breach.” Cassandra explained gently to the girl, helping her back to her feet. “It’s a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour. It’s not the only such rift, just the largest. All were caused by the explosion at the conclave.”

“A-an explosion can cause that?” Marie managed to squeak out as Cassandra had them walking again. From the front, she nodded at the young girl’s question.

“This one did.” Cassandra replied darkly, making Marie shudder at the possibilities at what could have happened. “Unless we act soon, it may grow until it swallows the world.”

Another tremor passed through Marie’s arm, and with muffled cry which turned into a small squeak, Marie lurched forwards, but instead of on the snowy ground, she was able to fall onto Cassandra’s back in front of her, making a small noise of protest come from the older woman leading her. With a quivering breath, Marie jumped back away from the woman – lest she were to get mad and yell at Marie, that might make her cry – and tried to keep herself from falling onto her face again.

“Each time the Breach expands, your mark spreads… and it is killing you. It may be the key to stopping this but there isn’t much time.” Cassandra said with a small frown, a torn look on her face as she turned around to make sure Marie was alright to continue.  

“How… how could this be a key? What do you mean?” Marie asked in quiet voice.

“For closing the Breach. Whether that’s possible is something we shall discover shortly. It is our only chance.” Cassandra replied with a small sigh, leading the girl once again through the dirt paths of this unknown town. With a nod in Cassandra’s direction, although the woman couldn’t see her confirmation and resolve, Marie wanted to do her best to help – just as she knew Mama would want her to – even if the green stuff in the sky and on her arm hurt really, really bad. As they walked along, and Marie could see that they were approaching a pair of large wooden gates, the girl also noticed many people looking to her, the small girl, with looks of fear, anger, and disgust – and Marie couldn’t think of why anyone would look at her in such ways. Cassandra seemed to feel the girl’s discomfort, and began to explain.

“They have decided your guilt. They need it. The people of Haven mourn our Most Holy, Divine Justinia, head of the Chantry. The Conclave was hers. It was a chance for peace between mages and templars. She brought their leaders together. Now, they are dead.” Cassandra explained with a hint of sadness to her voice, although she continued with a walk of resolve. The two passed through the gates with no problems, and were soon outside the village and into the snowy wilderlands.  “We lash out, like the sky. But we must think beyond ourselves, as she did. Until the breach is sealed.”

At the end of the woman’s words, Cassandra revealed a large knife – and she could tell that this one _was_ a knife, because of the shiny glint it made in the sun – and Marie whimpered and tried to back away until Cassandra held her shoulder firmly and cut her bound wrists.

“There will be a trial. I can promise no more.”

Again, Cassandra had the two walking – at a faster pace, this time, it felt to Marie – and the girl had her eyebrows knitted in confusion at the woman’s words.

 _Why would we need a trial? What ever for? Why was I bound and in cell in the first place…?_ As Marie looked to the sky once again, the puzzle pieces seemed to connect in her head. _Oh… it would be for me, wouldn’t it?_

Marie must have been in her own head for too long, for once again she found her hand being held – but this was not warm and full of love, like Luca’s. They were cold, but Marie assumed it was because of the uncomfortable looking metal gloves. The girl flushed in embarrassment at having kept Cassandra waiting that the woman felt she needed to guide Marie like a small child, but Marie let her hand be held for a while, because it was almost comforting – in a strange way.

“Where… where are you taking me?” Marie asked on a quiet voice, and she felt as if her voice was too quiet for the woman to hear, but Cassandra looked over her shoulder to answer.

“That mark on your hand, it must be tested on something smaller than the Breach. Come, it is not far.” Cassandra answered, her hand still holding Marie’s. The girl nodded, but suddenly stopped in her tracks, making Cassandra have to let go of her hand and look towards the girl.

“What is it?” Cassandra questioned Marie, and her poor face flushed several shades of red, which only made the woman more confused.

Marie mumbled out an answer, wringing her hands together and Cassandra scoffed at the girl.

“If you do not tell me, I cannot help you. Do not make me carry you, for it would be unpleasant for us both.”

“I said I have to pee!” Marie managed to squeak out, hiding her face in the dirtied sleeves of her coat. She wasn’t used to the cold, and she was uncomfortable on walking along dirt trails like these for this long, and Mama and Papa and Luca were not here, and she was tired and scared and her body hurt, so everything was just _too much_!

Marie heard the light crunch of snow in front of her, and after a moment Cassandra’s hand was placed on her shoulder in a comforting way. Marie moved her hands away from her face, and saw that Cassandra was squatted down to her level.

“Do you need assistance?” Cassandra asked quietly, and Marie nodded hurriedly. So Cassandra did, and after a few uncomfortable moments they were back on the trail walking towards wherever their destination may be. These moments lulled together to Marie – walking along paths that all looked the same, passing through another large gate and then she began to see the destruction that the hole in the sky must be causing.

Soldiers were running down the paths, away from where they were headed, and there were a few items – like barricades and wagons – that looked destroyed, or were even on fire. Marie tried not to look at the wreckage for too long, and Cassandra had even picked her up and held her for a moment as they walked a few paces, then set her down and continued on like it hadn’t even happened!

“Why did you pick me up? You said you didn’t want to, before…” Marie asked with a curios look to the woman in front.

Cassandra sighed, and shook her head. “There are some things that you do not need to see, yet.”

Marie just shrugged, until another tremor – this one worse than the other two, _combined_ – and the girl face planted into the snow with a loud cry of pain.

“The pulses are coming faster now. The larger the Breach grows, the more rifts appear, the more demons we face.” Cassandra stated with a hard look to her face, helping Marie to her shaky feet. “We must carry on.”

“How did I even survive that blast?” Marie asked with a whimper, cradling her right arm to her chest. “This just seems like some stupid mean joke, making me hurt like this.”

“They said you… stepped out of a rift, then fell unconscious. It has been almost two days since then. They say a woman was in the rift behind you. No one knows who she was. Everything farther in the valley was laid waste, including the Temple of Sacred Ashes.” Cassandra said with a grim face as she led them through the paths. “I suppose you’ll see soon enough.”

Unlike before, there was a small sting of pain that stayed in her arm for a few moments after the tremor, but Marie still kept walking, although she would whimper quietly every few moments. She didn’t even notice they were on a bridge until Cassandra had barreled into her, holding her entire body to her own, as the both of them tumbled down the ditch and onto a frozen lake. Marie coughed from the dust and dirt, and almost felt she could scowl from the more dirt getting on to her coat – and it used to be her _favorite_ – but she sat up lightly and looked around for Cassandra. It was weird – one moment Cassandra was holding onto her for seemingly dear life, and then the next she was out of Marie’s sight, until she heard the woman’s voice cut through the air.

“Stay where you are!” Cassandra shouted, and Marie stood up enough that she could see the woman facing off with some other-worldly creature that almost made Marie cream in terror – but she simply stood there, frozen, until she heard a hiss from her left. Marie turned suddenly, and saw a green ghost slinking towards her, and Marie wracked her brain, trying to think _what do I do?!?_ At that moment, Marie noticed a discarded bow with a few arrows next to her, on the ground, and she picked them up and tried to aim at the ghost’s vital areas – if a ghost could have any, she hoped. Marie was not a good shot, not at all, but she managed to shoot three arrows before it disappeared into a cloud of green smoke, which allowed her to exhale the breath she didn’t realize she was keeping.

“Drop you weapon!” She heard Cassandra bark, and Marie hurriedly dropped the bow to the ground and turned to look at the woman who held a very angry look on her face.

“S-sorry!” Marie squeaked, trying to make herself small. “Th-the green ghost was g-getting close to me, and it was scary… a-and I thought I could hep! Sorry!”

Cassandra sighed and picked up the bow, handing it back to Marie. “No, it should be I who should apologize. I cannot expect you to go defenseless through the valley, and I may not always be there to help. Your life is threatened as is, but… I should remember that you willing followed and gave up your weapon – it is a noble choice of one so young.”

Marie mumbled a quiet thanks, attaching the bow to her back, and she searched around for more arrows, and a quiver to keep them in. Along with the three she retrieved from where the ghost disappeared, she found a quiver with about a dozen more, so she added the others and strapped them to her back as well. After she found all that she could, Marie nodded to Cassandra and they began to walk again, or I guess you could call it a jog, Marie chucked silently in her head.

It was a lot of starting and stopping, Marie mused. She wondered how much longer until they reached their destination. A test, Cassandra had called it…

Marie was brought out of her thoughts by Cassandra’s hard voice. “More demons! Steel yourself!”

So _that’s_ what the ghost thing was! A demon! Three more demons appeared out of thin air, two green ghosts this time plus one of the ugly guys Cassandra slayed earlier. Cassandra charged right up to battle the demons, and Marie readied her bow and began to shoot at the ghosts. It took nine arrows – yes, she counted – to fell the two ghosts, but in her defense two of them didn’t even hit the ghosts! After Cassandra slayed the ugly one, Marie ran up to collect her arrows – she couldn’t afford to lose any of them. Cassandra, at that point, had looked around to find Marie, to see the girl happily collecting her arrows and putting them in her quiver. Marie felt the gaze on her back, picked up her last arrow, and looked to Cassandra with a small smile.

“Where to now?” Marie asked with her soft voice, walking up to Cassandra. The woman in question shook her head, and sheathed her sword.

“We’re getting closer to the rift. You can begin to hear the fighting.” Cassandra stated, motioning to Marie to follow as they begun the trek up a staircase carved into the stone.

“Who’s fighting?” Marie asked with a curious look, trying to hear what Casandra could, but her little ears could only pick up the sounds of the wind and Cassandra’s metal armor.

“You’ll see soon. We must help them.”

They made their way up the stairs, and Marie began to see the faint glow of green around the corner – and it was strange, for the large green hole must surely be far up in the sky, right? Why would there be such a strange glow in the same shade so near to the two of them, she wondered. Rounding a corner, there was no mistaking the sounds of a fight then: The clang of metal swords and cries of pain and victory calling through the air. Cassandra wasted no time, picking up her pace and rushing towards the battle. Startled, Marie forced herself to run fast, to keep up with Cassandra, but the girl came to a sudden stop as she saw the scene before her.

A few unmoving bodies lay on the ground, blood seeping into the snow underneath them. Marie couldn’t move, and she felt her breath chocking in her throat, making her gasp lightly at the sights, uncaring to the scene around her.

Marie felt as if she could have fallen to the ground in shock, but was jolted out of her stupor when some strange man – an elf! – grabbed her marked wrist and raised it to the green portal in front of her.

“Quickly, before more come through!” He shouted, and Marie felt her whole body go numb as the rift in front of her disappeared into thin air. He released her arm, and Marie almost fell to the ground, but stumbled to stay upright – closing that _thing_ took a lot of energy out of her, leaving a strange pulsing sensation in her palm. Marie looked at her hand in wonder, not really noticing much around her.

“What… what did I just do?” Marie asked, awestruck, waving her hand in front of her face to catch a glimpse of it glowing in the sunlight.

“I did nothing, the credit is yours alone.” The elf-man answered, a grin plastered to his face. “Whatever magic opened the Breach in the sky also placed that mark upon your hand. I theorized the mark might be able to close the rifts that have opened in the Breach’s wake – and it seems I was correct.”

“Then it can be good for something… maybe it can close the Breach, just like you said Cassandra!” Marie beamed, looking for the woman in question, but the girl couldn’t fine her in her general line of sight.

“Possibly.” The elf seemed to smile back at the small girl.

“Good to know! Here I thought we’d be ass-deep in demons forever.” A new man, a _short_ man – a dwarf, Marie realised, but he was only a bit shorter than her – said as he walked up to Marie and the elf. “Varric Tethras: rogue, storyteller, and occasionally unwelcome tagalong.”

“Hi.” Marie stated with a smile on her face. Varric – another name she would have to remember.

“Absolutely not. Your help is appreciated, Varric, but…” Cassandra looked to him as she walked over to the small group with a disgruntled look.

 “Have you been in the valley lately, Seeker? Your soldiers aren’t in control anymore. You need me.” Varric replied with a grin as Cassandra made a disgusted noise when she walked up to Marie with a concerned look.

“Are you alright?” The woman asked, and Marie nodded with a little smile, and Cassandra nodded curtly in return.

“My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions. I’m pleased to see you still live.” Solas introduced after a beat. Marie tilted her head in confusion at the strange choice of words.

“He means, ‘I kept that mark from killing you while you slept.'” Varric added with a small laugh, looking to Marie and her confused looks.

“Oh! Thank you then!” Marie smile to the elf – Solas, a _fourth_ name she would have to memorize.

“It was no trouble, merely what was expected of me.” Solas spoke, turning to Cassandra. “Cassandra, you should know: the magic involved here is unlike any I have ever seen. Your prisoner is no mage. Indeed, I find it difficult to imagine any mage having such power.”

“Understood.” Cassandra acknowledged with a nod of her head. “We must get to the forward camp quickly, then.”

Once again, Marie fell behind Cassandra as they began their walk-jog towards wherever they were headed – to this forward camp, Marie assumed – and they were lucky enough to not have met any more demons or green holes for the time being. But now, there were two more companions with her, and Marie almost smiled largely despite all the chaos smushed into this one day. As the four continued their trek, the dwarf Varric fell in line with Marie.

“So, kid. What’s your name? I doubt the Seeker had the decency to ask.” Varric chuckled, while in front of them Cassandra scoffed.

“Je m’appelle Mariette Antoine Etienne d’Ambroise, fille de la Marquis et Marquise du Lac d’Argent, deuxième héritier du titre et l’état.” Marie recited, not even aware that she had switched languages until she almost ran into Cassandra’s back.

“Damn, kid. What have you gotten yourself into Seeker? Does Ruffles know yet? Or even Nightingale?” Varric chuckled as Cassandra glowered at the dwarf. Marie just looked to the adults around her, confused as ever. _Did I say something wrong…?_

“It appears that your prisoner seems to be an Orlesian noble’s daughter, Seeker.” Solas pointed out, and Cassandra scoffed at the elf.

“Yes, Solas. I heard.” Cassandra sighed, turning around and crouching down to Marie’s level. “It was Mariette, right? We must continue on. Do you think you can?”

Marie nodded fiercely, a grin on her face. “Of course, Cassandra! But you can just call me Marie. I only got called Mariette if I was in trouble.” The girl laughed at the many memories that sprang up from the use of her full name.

“Now that I think it kid, you did have a bit of an Orlesian accent.” Varric mused, and Marie grinned. They began once again, still no demons or troubles in sight, until shouts of help reached through the air.

“Another rift!” Cassandra exclaimed, pushing forwards and sprinter the rest of the way to the stone gates.

“We must seal it, quickly!” Solas joined in, with Varric and Marie trailing behind.

Varric, from beside her, took a crossbow from behind him and began to shoot at the demons like crazy. Solas took a long stick, and Marie was amazed to see blasts of fire and ice pummel the demons until they disappeared as dust. Cassandra was always amazing – fighting the demons in close-combat, Marie was always in awe of her seemingly raw power. The girl was so bewildered that she barely joined the fight until Solas from beside her nudged her lightly to close the rift. With a shaky hand, Marie raised her arm like before and that same tingly sensation washed over her body as the rift imploded on itself and closed.

“The rift is gone! Open the gate!” Cassandra shouted to the other side of the gate once she saw to that everyone was alright.

“Right away, Lady Cassandra!” Someone yelled from inside the new place, and soon the doors swung open on their heavy hinges. At the action, Cassandra motioned for everyone to follow her through the gates.

“We are clear for the moment. Well done.” Solas looked to Marie with pride, and the girl beamed back at him.

“Whatever that thing on your hand is, it’s useful.” Varric gave her a pat on the shoulder.

Once all three were safely through the doors, they slammed shut with a resonating thud.

**Author's Note:**

> French translations:
> 
> "My name is Mariette Antoine Etienne d'Ambroise, daughter of the Marquis and Marquise of Lac d'Argent, second heir to the title and estate."


End file.
